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A story in the March 12 issue of The Dialog, newspaper of the Diocese of Wilmington, Del., shows how today’s economy is impacting church life. Some parishes in Delaware and Maryland, hit with rising costs and lower weekly offertory collections, have put off replacing worn altar server robes, cut back on mailings and required parish and school employees to take an unpaid day off.

Father William Lawler, pastor of St. Mary Refuge of Sinners in Cambridge, Md., told The Dialog: “We’re going to take a look at what we can cut, but there isn’t a lot. There’s only one full-time employee — that’s me — and we can’t cut essential programs” such as outreach, religious education and Hispanic ministry.